WRITTEN BY TIM LABRECHE
The room was darkened, except for the stage. On that stage, the worship team sang out chorus after chorus, giving praise to our Father. Many times, I’m brought to tears in worship as I recognize my Father’s love and sacrifice for me. But this time it wasn’t the combination of their harmonies and the skillful praise of the instruments that brought tears. It’s what was happening on the side of the stage. There was a large tub filled with water that men, women, and children were climbing into and would declare their love for Jesus. They would be immersed in the water and come up with a joyous smiles on their face.
This public declaration of faith is called being baptized. It’s referenced in the New Testament of the Bible. It’s always tied to repentance and faith in our Savior. It signifies two things. First, it’s an unashamed proclamation that we have chosen to surrender our lives to the God of the Universe. We want the whole world to know that we have chosen a life with Jesus! Secondly, as men and women go under the water and reemerge, they are being washed clean in the Spirit.
As I sat there in the darkened sanctuary, I saw many young lives declare their love for our Savior. I witnessed a mother being baptized after her children. I saw what I believe was an older husband and wife go one after the other, again declaring their unrelenting love for their Savior. Countless lives asking for God’s forgiveness and being transformed. Families saying together that they belong to the one and only Savior.
Have you noticed the word I’ve chosen quite often as I’m writing this? Savior. That’s what he is. He is our Savior. Romans 6:23 states that the consequence of our sin is death, but we have a gift from our Savior, which is eternal life that comes from Jesus and what he did on the cross.
In Old Testament times, when God’s people sought forgiveness and to be cleansed from their sins, they were required to offer a sacrifice of a clean animal without a blemish on an altar. At Calvary, when Jesus was nailed to that cross, he became the only sacrifice we would ever need to be considered clean before our Heavenly Father. He was carrying on him ALL our sins on himself.
• When you pocketed that thing from a store that you just have to have but didn’t have the money. He carried it.
• The time that your eyes wandered, knowing full well it was wrong. He was carrying that too.
• When you lied when you were asked if you knew why you were pulled over? Yep. It was on Him too.
Regardless of the sin, there are so many beautiful pieces of God’s Word that showcase how we can be declared clean by our Heavenly Father.
Isaiah 1:18 says, “Though your sins are scarlet, they will be as white as snow; though they are crimson red, they will be like wool.”
1 John 1:9 also says, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
And the last part of Revelation 1:5 states, “To him who loves us and has set us free from our sins by his blood”
Even though I started this with the example of being baptized, that is not a pre-requisite for being washed clean and our sins forgiven. We don’t have to be baptized to be as white as snow. Look what the 1 John passage above says, “If we confess our sins…” The only thing we need to do is to go to our Father in prayer and ask him for forgiveness.
Our Savior in heaven is waiting to hear from you. He will ALWAYS welcome you. He will ALWAYS forgive you when you go to him.
I’m a person who loves to visualize things. If you were to picture a rolling meadow covered in freshly fallen snow, how does that make you feel? (Don’t think about the temp, just the beauty of it.) Now, picture a landfill filled with broken appliances, bags of discarded food items, rotted food, and much more of the like. Where would you rather spend your time? What would bring you peace? I would encourage you to make the choice to be clean as snow.
1. Isaiah 1:18 describes our sins as scarlet. Do you have some red in your ledger that you need to confess? Take some time now to ask your Savior to forgive you. He is faithful to forgive and remove the red and make you as white as snow.
2. It is easy not to recognize that our sins were also on Jesus when he was nailed to the cross. In your prayers, don’t forget to thank our God for the sacrifice made on that cross for YOU.
